Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hopscotch Solutions Limited in Rutland

Unique reference number SC065071 Inspector Mary Timms Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Registered person Hopscotch Solutions Limited Registered person address 1 Merchants Place River Street BOLTON BL2 1BX

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Responsible individual Charles Shuwa Tosan Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 01/12/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 24/03/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

This service continues to provide young people with a high standard of well-planned care and support. Young people are in stable long-term placements and are happy and content. Observations made during this inspection identify that young people are very relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. This suggests that they feel secure and confident in their carers. Young people make excellent progress from their starting points at the time of admission. Examples of individual progress include celebrated success in moving young people from full support to toileting independently, reductions in levels of anxiety and young people learning an appropriate level of independent living skills. Involved professionals and parents speak highly of the care provided and also of progress made by young people. Comments from parents include, 'I think they have done an amazing job, my child has made fantastic progress. I am very happy all round - they are like our extended

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This inspection

family'. Comments from involved professionals include, 'I am always impressed by the amount of care provided to the students'.

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This inspection

Young people are kept safe. This is because their protection and general wellbeing is always prioritised within care arrangements. No safeguarding concerns have arisen since the last inspection. Each young person is highly supervised, both within the home and when on trips within the community. Staff have an excellent understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of each young person. Behaviour is well managed. This is because staff know the individual triggers for the young people which may cause anxieties and lead to difficult behaviours. Care arrangements are well-planned to reduce the chance of building anxieties and to support each young person to relax, enjoy activities and to develop new skills. As a result most young people become more self-aware and self-confident.

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This inspection

There is effective and supportive management of new referrals and also of planned discharges. Young people's needs are assessed through the admission process and 3 of 5 young people and their families have the opportunity to visit the home. The team work closely with families and placing teams to support introductions to the service and to support young people moving on to adult services. As a result young people understand the plans for a placement move and the potential stress caused by this is reduced.

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This inspection

Staff engage well with parents, placing social workers, health professionals and education settings to agree and then implement individual placement plans. Involved professionals confirm they are kept updated about young people’s progress. Comments from parents include, 'They ring me just to let me know how my child is getting on not just when there is a problem'.

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This inspection

There have been adjustments within the management team since the time of the last inspection. One manager is now on maternity leave and as a consequence the Director of Care and Education has taken on the day-to-day management of the home and has submitted an application to Ofsted for the position of Registered Manager. This means that there is a very experienced and knowledgeable individual leading the management team within the home. Staff speak highly of leaders and managers, confirming that they feel well-trained and fully supported in their role.

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This inspection

This inspection notes that since the last inspection there have been service developments and new initiatives. For example, a new electronic recording system has been introduced to report on incidents involving physical holds. The manager sees this as an additional tool to monitor patterns and trends and thus strengthening safeguarding arrangements. Each young person now has an individual record of achievement which crosses over between school and care. This enables young people to reflect on their own progress and the positive experiences they have engaged in while residing at this home. The manager is excited about plans under development for young people to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award. It is apparent that, where hurdles may have been identified, the manager is committed to resolving these to ensure young people are offered this opportunity. The manager has taken action to address the one requirement set at the time of the last

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This inspection

inspection. The independent quality assurance visits to the home now include contact with parents. The manager confirms that she intends to continue monitoring this area to ensure this becomes a routine pattern within the monthly visits.

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This inspection

No requirements or recommendations have been set which reflects the high quality of services provided. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned residential special school that provides care and education to young people diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. The school cares for children for more than 295 days each year, therefore is registered as a children’s home. The home can accommodate up to 11 young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/12/2014 Full good 26/03/2014 Interim good progress 27/11/2013 Full good 08/03/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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